I first got into Gooseworx’s The Amazing Digital Circus not long after Episode Four released.
Since then, I have been there day one whenever an episode released on YouTube.
So, of course when it was announced the final episode would be airing in theaters, I decided that would be where I first watched it.
That being said, getting tickets was a bit of a hassle.
First, I had to change screenings because I stupidly forgot I’d arranged to go out with family at that time, then that second screening got cancelled.
In the end, the third attempt was the charm, and I managed to watch The Last Act in theaters.
After much excitement, the question remained: Would this be a satisfying conclusion or a disappointing one?
Well, I for one was satisfied with the ending, although it was certainly not without its disappointments.
I will get my negatives out of the way first.
One thing I was concerned about before watching the finale was Jax.
He had been taking up a lot of screen time, to the point that other characters began to feel slightly neglected.
So, when I saw Jax quite literally taking over the final episode’s posters, I was worried.
If you shared this concern, you will probably be disappointed because, yes, the episode is mostly focused on Jax.
That is not to say the story surrounding him is bad; just that I wish other characters got equal amount of screen time.
I wanted the ensemble cast to shine in this finale, but it felt more like the Jax Show than The Amazing Digital Circus at times, with other characters having very little to do.
This is especially the case for Kinger, who pretty much vanishes after the first ten minutes of the episode.
My second criticism is that certain scenes were executed in a confusing way.
There were times where I could not tell if I was watching a flashback, a dream, or some bizarre alternate reality.
But easily my biggest criticism is the abrupt change for a certain character in the third act of the episode.
This change seemed really at odds with what came before and felt like it only happened because Gooseworx had a last-minute change of heart.
I’m not saying that is what happened, just what it felt like watching the character’s transformation play out.
I also want to mention a few of the things I was mixed on.
There is a certain event that happens off screen, which I think we should have seen, and there is also a moment between Pomni and Jax which is by far the most uncomfortable The Amazing Digital Circus has made me.
You will know the scene when you see it, trust me.
And now for my positives.
For starters, I think Gooseworx absolutely delivered on the themes of this show.
To paraphrase them, the main theme of The Amazing Digital Circus is to find meaning in a stagnant life.
The finale delivers this message perfectly, resulting in the final minutes of the episode leaving me with a big smile on my face.
I also got a bit emotional at times.
One Jax scene even got me close to tearing up.
I know I said I thought Jax took up too much screen time, but that is not to say what he got was all bad.
I like how ambiguous a lot of it was, and how experimental his story got at times.
And even though I wish the rest of the cast got more to do in the ending, they still had a few brief scenes which I liked.
My favorite of these was a moment of friendship between Pomni and Ragatha at the beginning.
Finally, the animation is expectedly fantastic.
Once the episode airs on YouTube, it will be fun to compare it to the Pilot and see how the show’s success propelled its animation budget.
So, overall, I would say the ending to The Amazing Digital Circus is satisfying, although flawed.
It would probably end up on the lower end of an episode ranking, but that is only because the rest of the series is so great that I have very few criticisms of those episodes.
And, yes, that does mean I will be ranking the episodes after the finale releases on YouTube.
You can expect to see my spoiler thoughts on the ending there.
Until then, know that I think the conclusion is worthy of the journey.
The ending has its issues, but there are also many positives, primarily the nailing of the themes.
Catch the final episode in theaters if you can.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 